Americans were mostly financially stable and had a slightly less pessimistic view of the economy at the end of last year, according to an annual survey by the Federal Reserve.
The report showed how consumers’ personal financial well-being was holding up ahead of the presidential election. Some 73% of adults were “doing okay or living comfortably financially” as of October 2024, little changed from 72% in 2023 but still below the high of 78% seen in 2021, according to the central bank’s Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking published Wednesday.
The proportion of people who said they could cover an emergency expense of $400, such as a surprise medical bill or car repair, using cash or an equivalent was 63%, close to what was seen in recent years.
While the outlook on the US economy improved last year, respondents remained gloomy overall. About 29% of adults said the economy was “good” or “excellent” in 2024 — up from 22% in 2023 but still well below the 50% who said so before the pandemic in 2019.
And the share of adults who said they were worse off from a year earlier continued to fall, reaching 29% last year. That’s down from a series high of 35% in 2022 but is still above what was seen prior to that.
The Fed survey examines the financial situation of more than 12,000 adults and their families in the US. Overall, the SHED survey’s findings are consistent with what other polls and economic indicators showed last year. Americans were sour on high prices and the direction of the economy — one of the main issues on the campaign trail — but the economy and the labor market held up well.
Inflation remained a major challenge for consumers, particularly the cost of food and groceries, the report shows. The majority of respondents said their finances were worse because of changes in prices paid over the prior year, but that share was down from 2023.
Housing affordability also continued to be a major issue, with the median rent rising about 10% each year since 2022.
On the labor market, Americans expressed less confidence in the benefits of changing jobs. Some 62% of people who had a different job from a year prior said that their new role was “better overall,” down from a peak of 72% in 2022.
But the labor market overall remained solid, with similar shares of people starting new jobs in 2024 compared to 2023. Also, the shares of people who were laid off or left a job voluntarily were unchanged from the previous year.
One sign of strain emerged in people’s ability to manage their debt payments: The share of people falling behind on buy now, pay later programs “increased sharply” last year, according to the report. Nearly 25% of people were late in making a payment last year, compared with 18% in 2023.
